A Collection for Times of Pain and Fear in Israel and around the Jewish World Praying for Peace and Hope *** We honor the victims of hatred, pray for those wounded, thank the security forces for their efforts, and reaffirm our commitment to coexistence, mutual respect, and peace. The communities, institutions, members, and rabbis of the Israel Movement for Reform and Progressive Judaism together with rabbis and leaders throughout the world express their condolences to the families of those killed; share in the pain of those injured and wish them a speedy recovery. We offer our sincere thanks and gratitude to the police and security personnel who work day and night to protect us and embrace all the people of Israel in this time of fear. We will continue to believe in and work for Jewish-Arab coexistence. We hope that voices of moderation and reason on both sides will not be silenced by the cycle of hatred and fear. 1 Prayers Supplications for difficult days Student Rabbi Noa Mazor Our God and God of our fathers and mothers, in these difficult times we turn to You. Shechinah Mekor Chayeynu, source of our life, we look to you in bad days as in good. Give us the strength to find the strength to cope with the flood of emotions. Give us the ability to see the difficulties of others. All come from dust and return to dust, their days passing like a shadow. Adonai our God, may our days pass in pleasantness, mercy, life, and peace. Give our leaders the capacity to see the crown of creation that rests on every human head. Help us to trust others who are struggling for their own way, for their lives and for ours. Guide us, Adonai, in Your way – the way of love of every human, the way of making peace among humans and between adversaries. In these difficult times, give us the strength to believe that the day will indeed come when all will sit under the vine and fig tree and nothing shall make them afraid. Amen. Before lighting the Shabbat candles “‘I have been deprived of peace’” (Lamentations 3:17) – this refers to the lighting of the Shabbat candle” (Babylonian Talmud, Shabbat 25b). May these candles be a blessing on Your holy Shabbat and a source of hope for us and all Israel. Restore peace to our souls and our Land and do not deprive us. Transform this Shabbat and the coming days into “a day that is only Sabbath and rest for all eternity” (from the Grace after Meals on Shabbat). And let us say: Amen. 2 Please, with the strength and greatness of Your right arm This ancient poem is traditionally recited on Friday night before singing Lecha Dodi. It does not appear in most Reform prayer books, but it can make a good addition to the service during times of trouble when we want to emphasize our prayers for peace and redemption. אָנָא בְּכֹחַ תגְּדֻלַ יְּמִ ינְָּךתַתִ יר צְּ רּורָ ה: קַבֵּל רִנַתעַמְָּך שַגְּבֵּ נּוטַהֲרֵּ נּו נֹורָ א: נָאגִבֹור ּדֹורְּשֵּ י יִחּודְּ ָך כְּבָבַתשָמְּרֵּ ם: בָרְּכֵּם טַהֲרֵּ ם, ירַחֲמֵּ צִדְּקָתְּ ָךתָמִ יד גָמְּלֵּם: חֲסִין קָ דֹוש בְּ רֹוב טּובְּ ָךנַהֵּל עֲדָתֶ ָך: יָחִיד גֵּאֶ ה לְּעַמְּ ָךפְּנֵּה, זֹוכְּרֵּיקְּדֻשָתֶ ָך: שַוְּעָתֵּ נּו קַבֵּלּושְּמַ ע צַעֲקָתֵּ נּו יֹודֵּעַ תַעֲלּומֹות: Please, with the strength and greatness of Your right arm. Accept the chanting of your nation, raise us high and purify us, O awesome one. Please, O heroic one, guard those who seek your unity as the pupil of an eye. Bless them, purify them, and may Your righteous mercy always reward them. O unfathomable one, with Your abundant goodness guide Your people. O unique and proud one, turn to your people who remembers your holiness. Accept our pleas and hear our cries, knower of secrets. Prayer for the Children of the World Rabbi Nava Hefetz אדון כל הברואים, מלך שהשלום שלו, رب الخليقة ملك السﻻم Creator of all life, sovereign of peace, ברך את ילדינו ואת ילדי כל העולם بارك اوﻻدنا واوﻻد العالم اجمع Bless our children and the children of all the world בבריאות הגוף, בריאות הנפש ובריאות הרוח. بصحة الجسد والنفس والروح 3 With physical, emotional, and spiritual health. אתה שבראת אותם בצלמך, باري المخاليق على صورتك You who created them in Your image ובאהבה רבה נפחת בם רוחך وبالمحبة الجمة بعثت فيهم الروح And lovingly imbued them with Your spirit, הצלח דרכם בעולמך אשר בראת. وفق دربهم بعالمك الذي خلقت Let their paths be successful in this world that You created. הריק מחוסנך עליהם וחזק בריחי גופם ונפשם. هب لهم من لدنك قوة واعضد اجسادهم وانفسهم Give them of Your resilience and strengthen the sinews of their bodies and minds. היה שומרם ומצילם מיד רשעה, احرسهم ونجهم من كل شر Guard and save them from all evil כי רב חסד ואמת אתה. ﻻنك الصدوق المنعم For Your mercy and truth abound. שים שלום בארץ ושמחת עולם לכל יושביה. اجعل السﻻم يعم البﻻد وبهجة ابدية لكل البشر Grant peace to the Land and everlasting happiness to all its inhabitants. אמן, כן יהי רצון. فلتكن مشيئتك آمين Amen, may it be Your will 4 A Prayer for Life Sheikha Ibtisam Mahamid and Rabbi Tamar Elad-Appelbaum God of Life Who heals the broken hearted and binds up their wounds May it be your will to hear the prayer of mothers For you did not create us to kill each other Nor to live in fear, anger or hatred in your world But rather you have created us so we can grant permission to one another to sanctify Your name of Life, your name of Peace in this world. For these things I weep, my eye, my eye runs down with water For our children crying at nights, For parents holding their children with despair and darkness in their hearts For a gate that is closing and who will open it while day has not yet dawned. And with my tears and prayers which I pray And with the tears of all women who deeply feel the pain of these difficult days I raise my hands to you please God have mercy on us Hear our voice that we shall not despair That we shall see life in each other, That we shall have mercy for each other, That we shall have pity on each other, That we shall hope for each other And we shall write our lives in the book of Life For your sake God of Life Let us choose Life. For you are Peace, your world is Peace and all that is yours is Peace, And so shall be your will and let us say Amen. Tamar Elad-Appelbaum is a female Rabbi of the conservative movement, from Jerusalem. Sheikha Ibtisam Mahamid is a female Sheikh from the town Foredis. They wrote this prayer together in summer 2014, during the military operation of Tsuk-Eitan. 5 A Prayer for Our People and Our Land Rabbi Professor Yehoyada Amir Sovereign of the world, accept willingly our prayer for the State of Israel and its people. Grant Your blessing to the Land and to all its inhabitants. Let us understand Your just laws and grant us the morality of Your prophets – “Act justly, love mercy, and walk humbly with your God” (Micah 6:8). Spread Your spirit over all the inhabitants of our Land and plant tolerance and mutual respect in our hearts. Uproot from within us hatred, violence, coercion, and exploitation. Spread the Sukkah of Your peace over the Jewish people in all its dispersed communities. Grant them the mental strength to come to our Land and let us dwell in it together as fellows. Encourage our soldiers who defend our Land; may their spirit be firm and their weapons pure. Guard them under the shadow of Your wing, grant them salvation, and may they overcome our enemies. But please – grant peace in the Land and let it be a blessing for all its inhabitants. Realize speedily the vision of Your prophets: “Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, and neither shall they learn war anymore” (Isaiah 2:4). Amen. Additions to the supplications section in the Grace after Meals הרחמן הוא יברך את מדינת ישראל ראשית צמיחת גאולתנו ויפרוש עליה ועל יושביה סוכת שלום הרחמן הוא יחזק ידי מגיני ארץ קודשנו וינחלם עוז, לב נבון, ישועה וחיים הרחמן הוא ישכין שלום בין זרע שרה וזרע הגר ויביא נחמה לארצנו May the merciful one bless the State of Israel, the first manifestation of the approach of our redemption, and spread the Sukkah of peace over it and all its inhabitants. May the merciful one strengthen the hands of the defenders of our holy Land and grant them daring, acumen, salvation, and life. May the merciful one bring peace between the descendants of Sarah and the descendants of Hagar and grant comfort to our Land. 6 Selected Hebrew and Arabic Poems An Arab Shepherd is Searching for His Goat Yehuda Amichai An Arab shepherd is searching for his goat on Mount Zion And on the opposite hill I am searching for my little boy. An Arab shepherd and a Jewish father Both in their temporary failure. Our two voices met above The Sultan's Pool in the valley between us. Neither of us wants the boy or the goat To get caught in the wheels Of the “Had Gadya” machine. Afterward we found them among the bushes, And our voices came back inside us Laughing and crying. Searching for a goat or for a child has always been The beginning of a new religion in these mountains.